


In Over My Head

by MariahLacey42



Series: In Over My Head Universe (Magical Pet Shop) [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Anxious Yamaguchi Tadashi, But there is some mystery, Canon Characters as Animals, Fluff, Gen, Magic Shop, Magical Realism, Modern Fantasy, Modern Magic, No Angst, Platonic Relationships, a lot of other characters are mentioned but they're in animal form and/or don't talk much, brief descriptions of an anxiety attack, magic pet shop, pet shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28119336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariahLacey42/pseuds/MariahLacey42
Summary: When Yamaguchi Tadashi took a job at a pet store to help him save for Vet school, he hadn't expected it to be so...strange.ORCompletely non-magical Yamaguchi finds out magic is real through the animals and people at the pet store he works at.
Series: In Over My Head Universe (Magical Pet Shop) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156751
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for checking out my story. It's a bit of an obscure AU, but I was so inspired to write it that I typed and edited this all in the past week.  
> The inspiration for this fic comes a little bit from other magic pet shop AUs I've read, but mostly the Animal Magic series by Holly Webb. It's a children's book series and I only read the first book years ago, but the concept is so cool that here I am, expanding upon it.  
> I will write at least one more chapter in this story, and I may write other one-shots in this universe, but that all depends on my motivation.  
> Enjoy the story!

“This is not what I expected”

That was my first thought upon seeing the slightly worn down storefront. The sign, which reads “Ukai’s Animall” in borderline obnoxious bubble letters, seems to have once been white, though it is solidly a speckled cream at this point. Not to mention the fact that there’s a light spot in the paint where the apostrophe must have once been. 

Despite the walls and sign having seen better days, the windows are bright and sparkling. There are several cages of varying sizes, some of which have movement that I could probably make out the source of if I put in the effort. The cages look to be spacious and well-stocked, though that doesn’t nullify the fact that it looks more like a space for a mom and pop store or a small cafe, rather than a self-declared “animal emporium” 

At least, that’s what the help wanted ad had called it. A stop staff position at a pet shop seemed like the perfect place to get first-hand experience with animals while saving up for Vet school, but now, staring down this place, I’m beginning to rethink turning down the offer at Target. Not that it looks bad, but whether it’s the anxiety or the mismatched appearance of the store or both, I can feel my hands shaking a little bit as the light turns green and I cross over to in front of the “Animall”. 

“You got chosen for this job for a reason, Tadashi,” I tell myself in vain, remembering the interview, a frantic experience at a nearby cafe where the interviewer seemed to be just as anxious as me, leaving me certain that I had no shot. Imagine my surprise when I got a call the next day that I would be starting on Monday. 

I shake my head, my feeble encouragements providing a short burst of confidence that allows me to pull the door open. 

The first thing I notice is the bell. Most stores have a bell to let them know that a customer has entered, that’s not the strange part. The thing that makes me turn around and stare at the small metal bells is that the sound they make is discordant and way louder than I expected. To be honest, it sounds almost like someone banging on a piano. 

Other than that, the surprising thing is that it’s quiet. The tense hush almost reminds me of walking into a class late in high school. The animals in the various cages all seem to be staring at me uncannily, their earlier motions disregarded. But then, as quickly as the silence started, it’s gone. Instead, there’s a mild cacophony of chirps and rustles, distant mews, and then the obnoxious clang again as the door closes behind me. I wonder if that silence was just me, or if I was really being appraised by a pet shop full of animals. 

I scan the room quickly. It is much bigger than it looked from the outside, with lots of nooks and crannies, most of which are packed with cages containing a startling variety of animals, from mice to parakeets to...is that a tortoise? One of the walls has a hanging array of toys and treats, leashes, and accessories, plus food and bedding on a low shelf. There are also several doors leading away from the main room, one of which is marked with a “staff only”. In front of that is a long desk with a cash register. Behind it sits a broad set man with dark hair.

With the realization that there is an employee also comes the realization that I have been staring around at the shop for what is probably considered an abnormal amount of time. 

“Welcome to Ukai’s Animall, can I help you?” 

A deep voice rings out from behind the counter and it takes me a moment to realise that the dark-haired man is referring to me. 

“Oh, uh...I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi. I’m supposed to be starting work today. Sorry I got a little distracted by how much there is to see in here” I ramble a little, hoping my soon-to-be coworker doesn’t think I’m a huge dope for being so shocked by a mostly normal pet shop. 

The cash register man’s customer service smile widens and brightens at that, leaving me relieved. 

“Oh, welcome then! We’ve been having more short-staffed days lately, so it’s good to have new hands. I’m Sawamura Daichi, but call me Daichi if you want. I’ll be handling most of your initial training today. I’m the unofficial manager when Ukai is away, so come to me with any questions you have”

During his introduction, Daichi walked around the counter and held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, and thank you for having me. I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi, but I guess I already told you that,” I let out a nervous chuckle and take his hand. I’m struck by the fact that despite his broad build, he’s quite a bit shorter than me.

“Don’t worry about it,” he swipes a hand in the air in front of him. “How about a tour before we get into the boring orientation stuff? It’ll be good to see how the animals like you too.” He says the last part jokingly, but it still gives me the smallest bit of anxiety. What if the animals don’t like me?

“That sounds good! I mostly applied for this job because of the animals anyway”

“You mean the heavy emphasis on customer service wasn’t the most exciting part of the job for you?” Daichi coats his words in sarcasm before laughing under his breath and striding past me towards the door I came in from. 

“This is the main room. We keep most every kind of animal in these cages and we try to keep them as happy as possible.”

I see what he means. My eyes are drawn to a cavernous cage filled with tunnels and toys. In the back, a sleek and beautiful black ferret sleeps, on a bed that looks more like it should belong to a spoiled chihuahua. Though not just that cage, all of them are cleaner than I’ve seen in any other pet store, all while bursting with anything an animal could need. 

“Are you interested, Kiyoko? This is the new employee, Yamaguchi,” I flit my eyes back to Daichi and see him reaching down to pick up the ferret I had just been looking at. “Kiyoko can be a bit cold, but she’s the princess of the store, all the employees and animals love her.” She shifts her gaze over to me, and I see what Daichi means. Her gaze is intense, it feels uncannily like I’m being analyzed, but at the same time, she is a stunning creature, and as she shuffles up onto Daichi’s shoulders, she moves like one of those dancing ribbons, fluid and beautiful. 

“Nice to meet you..?” It feels a bit strange to introduce myself to a ferret, but when she nods her head and then jumps elegantly back into her enclosure, I feel like I would have been rude to not do so. 

When I tear my eyes away from her enclosure, I see my guide cooing at some of the mice.

“I’ll get you guys food later, but right now I’m training the new employee, okay,” He turns around, away from the two grey mice who look strangely dejected, and claps his hands. I jump a bit.

“Sorry about the distractions. Let’s get on with the tour,” He strides over to the long desk he was sitting behind earlier. “This is the register where we take customers. Behind the counter are all sorts of tick medicines and animal shampoos. Because of all the chemicals, we keep the potions out of reach of any creatures that walk in. I’ll show you how to work the register in a bit.” 

I nod, peeking around the counter to see the medicines he described(potions seems a bit extreme as a way to describe them, but I don’t know Daichi’s sense of humor quite yet.), as well as a small stool that I guess he was sitting on earlier. By the time I’ve peeked back over, he’s already walking over to one of the doors I noticed earlier. 

“This is the cat pavilion. We don’t have a ton of cats now, but since our occupancy fluctuates and we have the space for it, we let the cats stay here without any cages. If Fukunaga is working, you can bet he’ll be in here. He’s one of the cats himself.” I blink a bit at this strange description of who I assume is another employee, but I move on as Daichi carefully opens the door, making sure no sneaky kittens are gonna make a break for it, before beckoning me to follow him. 

I hurry into the room, making sure to close the door behind me. But as soon as I turn to look around, I feel a warm weight barrel into my leg. I look down and see a large grey cat looking up at me with bright, startlingly blue eyes. 

“That’s Lev,” Daichi provides. “He’s a Russian blue, and believe it or not, he’ll get even bigger than that, since he’s still a kitten. He also acts less like a cat than any other cat I know,” The cat at my feet lets out a loud meow at that, almost like he wants to object. I crouch down and lightly scratch his cheek, something my family’s cats always liked. He leans heavily into the touch, almost falling over as he rubs his long whiskers against my palm.   
I look around quickly at the room I’m supposed to be touring. It’s much smaller than the main room, but the ceiling is high and the walls are covered with cat towers and wooden paths that cross all around the room, allowing me to see a small tabby cat looking down at our scene curiously. He notices my gaze and hops into one of the cubbies nearby. 

“Staying in here and petting the cats is part of the job, and definitely one of the less painful ones,” Daichi chuckles, “At least when this one isn’t trying to use his water bowl like a birdbath.” He gives a pointed look at the grey cat that’s purring rather loudly at my feet, before heading to the door and gesturing for me to follow, not wanting us to loiter just in case a customer comes in. I gently close the door from the other side, seeing a small grey paw reach under the door after me. I smile down at it, but then follow Daichi through the large doorway next to the pavilion door. There are no hinges on the threshold though, instead, the barn-style sliding doors are opened all the way, so it feels more like just moving to the next room of a big house, rather than the cozy, enclosed feeling of the pavilion. 

This room has walls painted with different scenes, from a farm landscape to a forest in four seasons, and a frozen pond with ice skaters. However, the thing I’m most drawn to is the mass of fur in the middle of the floor. I can’t tell how many, but several dogs seem to be having a very intense nap altogether. It takes all I have to not “aww” out loud at the sight. There’s one other tan colored dog snoozing in the corner, markedly separate from the cuddle puddle in the middle. 

“This is the sky room. It usually just has dogs, but any animal that needs the exercise super regularly can be put in here. Usually, we leave the barn doors open because this fence keeps them in well enough.” He gestures to the long white guard separating us from the main part of the room. “Though occasionally we get ourselves an escape artist and need to shut the barn doors for the sanity of the workers and the other animals.”

There’s definitely a story behind that, and I make a mental note (That I’ll probably forget), to ask Daichi about it later. 

“That’s all the front rooms though. All that’s left is the back, and though it’s far less exciting, it is just as important to work here.”

Daichi is definitely right, though I certainly don’t enjoy seeing the timekeeping machine, the back door, or the storage closet as much as petting cats or meeting ferrets. 

“Behind this door is the stairs. There’s a loft bedroom and Ukai sleeps up there. There’s a full kitchen in the breakroom down the hall, so he all but lives here. 

“Ukai is the store owner I assume. Because of the name at least…”

“Yeah, family business. I’ve been here since his grandfather ran the place, and he’s in charge now, though Takeda takes care of just as much as Ukai does. It’s more of a joint custody situation.” Daichi lets out a breathy chuckle at what I assume is an inside joke, before quickly showing me the breakroom. It really is impressive having a full kitchen, but if this store really is the remodeled house I’m assuming it is, I guess it isn’t surprising. 

“I guess all that’s left is the office. Takeda should be in, so we should say hi,” Without letting me have any say in the matter, Daichi knocks three times on the last door in the hallway before peeking his head in. “I brought the new hire in for introductions”

As I shuffle awkwardly to beside Daichi, I hear the rolling of a desk chair and some paper rustling. When I reach the doorway and look through, I see a fairly small and dark office. And right in front of me is the wiry black-haired man who interviewed me. To be honest, I had assumed he was another shop hand, and now I feel retroactively embarrassed since I now know he does most of the work around here.

“Takeda Ittetsu, good to see you again Yamaguchi. I was in a bit of a frenzy the day of your interview, so I’m glad I didn’t deter you. I was Ukai Senior’s secretary and now I’m the unofficial co-owner of the store. We’re glad to have you aboard.” He smiles softly as he holds his hand out, the other hand reaching up to fix his thin-rimmed glasses that had slipped down his nose. 

“Good to see you as well, the interview was lovely, not a deterrent at all.” 

“Thanks again for agreeing to do the training, Daichi. You really are the best person for the job.”

Daichi smiles sheepishly. “I’m glad you think so, but it’s really no problem. Unless I’m misreading him, Yamaguchi seems like he’ll be an angel.” I flush a bit at that comment, but the two dark-haired men share a laugh at it before Takeda gives me a quick wave and returns to his desk. 

“Okay, that’s the whole store officially toured. Let’s get you punched in and I can start with the more menial training stuff.” I nod and we begin doing just that.

The next few hours or so are a flurry of new skills and new animals, with me hoping dearly that I’ll recall enough of it tomorrow to be capable. I learn that the cash register is nearly as old as the store and that it closes at the most random times, regardless of whether fingers are currently in it or not. I dread having to work it myself, but Daichi assures me that it just takes a certain touch.

I learn how to clean different types of cages, from the mouse cages (I got to feed those two grey mice from earlier, Tanaka and Noya, apparently), to the bird enclosures(apparently birds have been popular lately and there are only three sibling parakeets in there now), and the cavernous enclosure of the tortoise whose name I learn is Aone. 

After that, I get a rundown of the medicines behind the counter before being told to familiarize myself with the toys, food, and other products on the shelves, so that I can hopefully answer questions about them soon. I’m deeply immersed in just how many kinds of hamster chew toys this place sells when I’m startled out of my daze by the obnoxious clanging of the shop bell. 

“Hey Suga, you haven’t been by in a while” I can hear the smile in Daichi’s voice even before I look at him. I suppose this is a regular.

“You know when work gets busy, I have to settle for bird food from the city shop, but I would never trust anyone else with Yachi’s medicine.” A slim man with silver hair strolls up to the counter, smiling mischievously at my supervisor. 

“I don’t like it, but I respect your choice. Let’s hope the kids let up on you so you can come by here more often. You know Hinata prefers our seed mix.” 

“He won’t let me forget about it. The last few times I’ve fed him he’s popped right out of his cage to scream at me.” Suga chuckles and Daichi joins before his eyes go slightly wide and he calls me over. 

“Suga, this is our new employee, Yamaguchi. Go easy on him.” I feel a pat on my shoulder, signaling that I should say something. 

“Nice to meet you, Suga. You come here to shop for your birds, I assume?” 

“Yep, I got two out of three of them from the Animall, and it has the best treats you can find.”

“God, I still remember how relieved we were when Hinata found a home. He was making Goshiki tear his hair out with his escapades.” I glance curiously at Daichi. He lets out a soft exhale that I assume is a half-laugh before elaborating. “Hinata was the worst escape artist I’ve seen in the shop. It doesn’t matter what you put him in, he’s gonna get out of his cage and start zipping around at mach speed. Suga didn’t even know the worst of it when he took the little guy home, but thankfully they get along fine.”

“Yep, he’s still squabbling with Kageyama constantly, but at the very least, he’s stopped trying to go outside. Between the kids at work-- I’m a kindergarten teacher” That last part was directed at me. “and the three birdies at home, I don’t know how I get any sleep nowadays.”

“You know you wouldn’t have it any other way, Suga.” Daichi teases. “Yamaguchi, come with me to the storage room, I should show you where we keep the customer-specific prescriptions. Don’t tease Asahi too much!” Daichi calls back at the customer, who is already poking at the large parrot that was perching near the counter. I need to remember to ask Daichi why that bird is allowed to just chill outside of his cage so much. 

Daichi quickly leads me to the storage room and points out the low shelf that has white bags with last names on them. He then grabs the one that says “Sugawara” in neatly printed letters before we return to the counter. Suga seems to have already given tormenting the parrot a rest and instead has gathered some perches, food, and toys on the counter in the two minutes we were gone. Daichi rings him up quickly and makes sure to explain the commands he’s using so that I can follow along. I’m still not excited to be given reign over the finger pinching cash register, but at least it looks easy to operate. 

“Thanks so much for having this ready, Daichi. Yachi has been moping all week since I ran out of the last refill. It was nice to meet you, Yamaguchi.” Suga flashes a dazzling smile before grabbing his bags and heading out, the upsetting bells signaling his departure. 

My curiosity overpowers my desire to not be nosy, so I have to know what that whole thing was about. “What was that medicine for Suga’s bird? Is it sick?” 

Daichi looks at me for a second, “Yachi is--she has a genetic condition. Since we had her at the shop for a while, we know the medicine that helps her manage it best. Goshiki is the one who deals with the medicines usually, so you should ask him next time he’s on shift if you wanna know more.”

“You mentioned Goshiki before, and one other guy, who you said was like a cat, I think. Could you tell me more about the other employees?” 

“Oh, um. That’s pretty much everyone. We’re a small staff. Goshiki is the youngest, probably around your age. He is a whiz with medicines and home remedies, and he works really hard. Fukunaga is a bit older and he’s...an odd duck. He doesn’t talk much, but he gets along well with even the most temperamental animals. You’ll meet him tomorrow since you’re both scheduled. Then there’s me, Ukai, and Takeda. Ukai is away on delivery or doing meetings a lot, but you should meet him soon.”

I pause for a second, the descriptions buzzing around inside my head just like everything else I’ve heard today. “Thanks for the brief, I really had no clue what I was getting into when I took the job, so I’m learning as I go along.” I laugh, a bit more sheepishly than I intended. 

“That’s the best way to learn, I think.” Daichi gives me a warm smile, and I feel some tension that I hadn’t realised I was holding leave my body. 

I spend the rest of my day learning inventory, meeting a few more animals while cleaning cages, playing in the pavilion with Lev (none of the other cats came out while I was in there), and facing my fear of the cash register when customers came in for me to ring up. I sold a couple of collars and bags of bedding, and I only got my fingers jammed once. (Thankfully, Daichi has a first aid kit stashed for this eventuality) Before I know it, the sun is low in the sky and we’re about to close up. 

Daichi starts giving me a quick rundown of what needs to be done when closing the store. Lock the doors, double-check all the food supplies and the cage doors, make sure you time out and leave through the back door. I nod in understanding before being interrupted by a loud slam from the back.

I turn my head so quickly my vision blurs and then spare a nervous glance at Daichi. His movements towards the back of the shop seem sure, so I become less convinced that we’re being mugged during my first day on the job. I follow, my strides far more hesitant than Daichi’s. Right before I round the corner, I hear some muffled curses and the sound of boots being removed. 

“Rough delivery, I guess?” Daichi postures, and I take my final step to stand behind him. Stamping out a cigarette in the back entryway is a gruff looking man with bleached hair. More shocking than his scruffy looks is the fact that he’s covered in tiny scratches, almost like papercuts. They’re on his hands and face, and a few of them are dripping tiny drops of blood. 

“You can say that again. I don’t care how much that bastard Nekomata tries to schmooze me, I’m not taking any of those damn parakeets. Can’t even see where they’re attacking you from.” He grumbles a bit more before moving towards the upstairs door. “You about to close up, Daichi? How was the newbie?” He spares a glance back at us, his eyes quickly widening when he realises that I am still in the shop, standing slightly behind Daichi like a toddler who’s still getting used to people. 

I glance between the two men in the mostly dark hallway. Do I respond to that question since it’s about me, or does Daichi respond since it was directed at him? 

I’m spared from my dilemma by my mentor cutting to the awkward silence. “Uh, Yamaguchi, this is Ukai. Ukai, this is Yamaguchi.” 

Wait

This is Ukai? I don’t know what I assumed the owner of a pet shop would look like, but it certainly isn’t this. If I was a small animal, I’d probably be scared of him. (I might be just a bit scared of him anyway)

“Nice to meet you, sir,” I decide to stay pleasant and not bring up the state that I met him in. 

“Yeah, yeah, good to meet you too, Yamaguchi. Sorry if I’m bein’ a dick but it's been a long day. We can do proper introductions next time I see you, but for now, I’m gonna close up and pass out. You guys can check out.” Ukai then goes through the door to the main room, leaving the two of us standing in the dim hallway, blinking after him.

“I promise he isn’t usually this gruff, he just was doing business with an old rival of ours, and that always leaves him in a foul mood.”

I didn’t know pet shops had rivalries, but I assure Daichi that it’s not a big deal and then the two of us clock out and head out the back door. 

“I’m not working tomorrow, but you can ask Takeda if you have any questions or Fukunaga if you need to see how anything is done. Get home safe.” Daichi gives me a soft wave and a bright smile. 

“You too, thanks so much for all the help today. You’re a good teacher.”

“It wasn’t any trouble, I can already tell you’re suited for this job. You’ll take to it soon enough.”

I mumble my thanks and we part. I find my way back to my car and make the 15-minute drive home in the post-sunset dusk. 

Between the physical work of cleaning cages and standing most of the day and the mental work of taking in a new job and many new people, I’m more tired than I even realised. It’s like the shop was holding me up with a string, and as soon as I turn the key and open the door to my apartment, the string snaps and I collapse in on myself. Not literally of course, but there’s a bone-deep weariness that starts radiating out of my core, weighing me down. 

I barely register my roommate telling me I look like shit as I pull myself through the kitchen to heat up some leftover chicken. I know I must have had banter with him like I usually do, but the next coherent thoughts come when I’m already in bed. Suddenly, everything is startlingly crisp and all I can think about is the swirling mix of thoughts and emotions related to the Animall. 

Everyone seems nice and the animals are all sweet so far, but something just feels weird about the store. I can’t even place it, but the atmosphere is less like a chain pet store with its fluorescent lights and rows of glass boxes, and more like an old record shop. Like I’m getting a look into a hobby that I don’t have a place in. I know that makes no sense though. It just feels different because it's a family-owned pet shop that really cares about the animals. That’s it.

I push the buzzing thoughts out of my head and try to sleep. Thankfully, my exhausted body complies and I’m swiftly swept away into darkness, the muddled state of my brain transitioning into equally muddled dreams, filled with shifting figures and shapes that I can’t make out in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with the second chapter! Between some tough characterization and some scenes that I had less planned out going in, this chapter really pushed me in the process of writing it. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the finished product

By the time I blink my eyes open, the sun has long since risen, and I have only a few hours before my afternoon shift at the Animall. My roommate probably left for work at 7:45 on the dot, like he tries to do every day. There’s a note from him on the counter, reminding me that we have a movie night tonight. I send him a quick text to tell him that I have to close up the shop at 9, but that I’ll be there, and he can pick the movie since I’ll be late. 

I spend the rest of the morning munching on fruit and the leftover half of a waffle I ordered for breakfast yesterday and sorting through all I learned at the store in hopes that I can make it through today with minimal help. Though that’s probably a pipe dream considering just how little I actually know about the shop. 

I’m faced with that fact as soon as I close the back door of the store behind me. I hear a couple of voices from the front room, so it’s probably one of the owners talking to a customer or maybe the other employee that’s working today. I pass by Takeda in the office, narrowing the options on this mini-mystery that I’ve given myself. After I’ve punched in and stored a small snack in the fridge along with my dinner(with a sticky note in hopes of thwarting any thefts), I head towards the front, pausing only momentarily as I catch another snippet of the conversation taking place. 

“You seriously told him to stop bugging you? That’s progress, you glass hearted giant. Though you still got a ways to go before people stop walking all over you.” That voice sounds like Ukai, albeit much more cheery than I heard him last night. 

“You can’t just say I did a good job without insulting me again afterward, can you. I know I’m a wimp without you rubbing it in.” I don’t recognize this voice, but it’s midtoned and soft, it sounds trustworthy, if a bit raspy. 

The response is just a dismissive grunt from Ukai, so I think this is a good time to open the door and pretend I wasn’t snooping. 

“Good morning,” I chime, peeking out to see Ukai and...nobody else. The only other creature not in a cage is the blue Macaw named Asahi, but he’s just sitting on his perch, staring out the window beside the counter. 

There’s a quick noise of surprise as Ukai turns around so quickly on the stool that he almost falls off. “Morning Yamaguchi, I didn’t know you had clocked in already” He makes an exaggerated gesture of putting a phone from the counter into his apron pocket. I guess he was talking to someone on speakerphone? But the voice sounded too clear for that.

“Sorry about last night,” I snap out of my puzzling to see Ukai standing in front of me, hand outstretched. “I was really in an awful mood and probably made an abysmal first impression, so let’s do this again.”

I take his hand “It’s not a problem, I won’t say I wasn’t surprised, but long days can do crazy things to people”

He laughs loudly at that “You can say that again. You seem like a good kid, Yamaguchi. I’m glad to have you on board.”

I mumble my thanks and then Ukai puts me to work doing the rounds, just checking the different cages and rooms to see if any animals need food or bedding or look “worse than usual” (Ukai’s words). I don’t bring up the fact that I don’t quite know what “usual” looks like for most of these animals. 

I even meet a few new animals in the main room. I guess coming back for the second day in a row is enough for some of the shyer creatures to inch their way out. In particular, there’s a fluffy rabbit with flint grey fur and steely blue eyes that comes out and nudges my fingers when I’m trying to fluff the bedding. The sign hanging on the cage calls him “Akaashi”, and he is so pretty and delicate that I think holding him too tightly would shatter him like a Christmas ornament. However, he just stares me straight in my eyes, makes a small clicking noise, and heads back into his little dome-shaped enclosure. 

As soon as he’s out of sight, I let out a sharp breath and I find that I feel shaky all over. As cute as that rabbit is, there’s an intensity in those blue eyes that made me feel like I just got analyzed. I shake my head and move on to Tanaka and Noya, who are bouncing around and making their best doe eyes in hopes that I’ll give them extra food. (I give them just a bit extra)

After I’ve done the rounds in the main room, Ukai gestures to the sky room and the pavilion. 

“Go ahead and get to know the dogs and cats now. Some of them are slow to warm up, but you can’t be a good Animall employee if you don’t connect with most of the animals.” I nod, slightly daunted by the implied pressure hidden in his words. He probably didn’t mean that, right? 

Despite some doubts, I head over to the sky room. I realised earlier this morning that I hadn’t actually met any of the dogs yesterday, since they were all sleeping when I came by. Today, however, several of them are bouncing around the bright room. I keep my movements steady and slow in case any of them are easily startled, and head to the other side of the separating fence, making sure to secure it behind me. 

The first thing I notice is a blur of fur that zooms by me, almost knocking me off balance. I wobble my arms a little bit, managing to get stable before I’m knocked into again. This time it does take me down, and when I look up from the ground I see a fairly large retriever panting above me. 

“Hello there honey” I squeak out as I give the furry creature a pat on the head. He seems pleased with my choice of actions and backs off, allowing me to push myself up to a seated position, and take stock of my surroundings for the first time since I entered the room properly. 

The golden retriever is seated in front of me, placated by my continuous attention, though still panting. I assume he was running around when I entered. A smaller puddle of dogs is over in one of the corners. Though it really is just a pug puppy sleeping and a small white furry dog (I need to look more into dog breeds) sitting contentedly next to him and looking out the window to the alleyway beside the shop. In the other corner is a tan dog with black paws whose breed I can’t place looking at me with teeth bared. I shiver and look back to in front of me, where another dog has joined me. He’s a terrier of some kind, all compact movement and wiry fur. He jumps up at my face and gives me a lick. I also spot a sign I hadn’t noticed last time I was here that has pictures and information about all the dogs. 

I pet the terrier and the retriever before carefully standing up, trying to make sure there isn’t another dog hiding somewhere that’s gonna make me fall on my face. I walk over to the sign--though it’s really more of a clear set of pockets with cards in them--and start putting names to faces, all while the two energetic pups try to get my attention with small barks and nudges of my hands. 

Those two, I find out, are Terushima (the golden retriever) and Inuoka (a Jack Russel terrier specifically). I say their names back to them and they give me happy barks in response. The two in the sleepy corner are Kunimi (the pug, who is apparently sleeping more often than not) and Yahaba (The bichon frisé who is picky about the company he keeps). I also read about Kyoutani, the tan and black dog, whose breed isn’t given on the sheet. Maybe a mutt? Regardless, I don’t anticipate approaching him, since he is still snarling at me and the two dogs by my side. 

I spend the next 30 minutes or so playing tug-of-war with my two new dog friends as well as going over to the two in the corner and giving them some soft pets that are met with mostly indifferent reactions. I’ve always been more of a cat person, but I also like going to the park and dog watching, and this isn’t all that much different. I find myself smiling and even laughing a bit at the various antics from the residents of the sky room, and I feel noticeably lighter by the time I head back to the counter to watch it while Ukai takes a break. 

“They’re a troublesome bunch for sure, but you seemed to handle them pretty well,” I jump a bit at Ukai’s voice, having zoned out for a bit while sitting behind the counter. 

“They certainly are a colorful group, but I think I’ll enjoy taking care of them.”

“I think so too,” He slaps me on the back “Now why don’t you go check on the pavilion. I’m sure you haven’t met all the cats yet. They’re ridiculously fickle,” he laughs “except for Lev at least.”

I chuckle, recalling the grey kitten from yesterday. “Yeah, he’s the only one I’ve met, but hopefully they’ll come out a little more today,” Ukai simply grunts in agreement and I head through the red door to the cat pavilion. 

I didn’t expect anyone to be in there. But here I am, standing in front of the recently closed door. And here he is, sitting cross-legged on the ground in the corner, with the small tabby I saw the first day curled up in his lap. 

He turns to me with wide eyes and I can’t tell if he is surprised or if he just has that look, with his high set eyebrows and small button mouth. His hand (at least the one that isn’t holding a cat toy and dangling it in front of Lev) goes up to his forehead and he gives a two-finger salute. 

I would have heard the horrible bell if anybody had come into the shop. Plus, no customers have been in since one woman getting parrot food about an hour ago. Then that means...he’s been in here since before I got here? 

“Are you Fukunaga?” I ask carefully. If I’m wrong and this is a customer this will be unbelievably embarrassing, but Daichi did describe him as “One of the cats,” so it would make sense for the person communing with our felines to be my coworker.

The person just nods at me and gives a sheepish smile. Okay, so this is Fukunaga. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yamaguchi. I started yesterday.” He nods again before returning his gaze to the string toy he’s using to tease Lev. 

Okay, what do I do now? I heard he didn’t talk much, but this is a bit more extreme than I expected. 

I decide to busy myself with finding and reading the cat name cards in order to avoid one-sided conversation with my coworker. I had seen those yesterday when I was in the room but had skipped over them in the shuffle of going from room to room. I see Lev’s card, along with two other cats. One is the tabby currently sleeping in Fukunaga’s lap. His name is Shibayama, and it says he’s shy around new people. It says similar things about the calico cat named Kenma. Saying he’s choosy with the company he keeps and that if he likes you, consider yourself lucky. I see what Ukai meant by fickle. 

I decide, slightly against my better judgment, to search through the various cubbies for the elusive Kenma. That way I will have met all the cats. Plus, part of me is curious if he’ll like me. Who wouldn’t be after seeing that name card?

I check the cubbies close to the door fruitlessly before moving gingerly along the wall, attempting to let Shimayama stay restful. I make it all the way to the back corner before I get up too fast from looking in a cubby hole and smack my head into one of the wooden platforms on the wall.

I yelp in surprise more than in pain and I hear the scratching sound of a cat running. I see Fukunaga looking into one of the other cat trees, his lap now empty. 

“Sorry about that,” I say softly. Fukunaga turns to me, his eyes intense.

“Shibayama is a scaredy-cat,” he says flatly, before breaking his facade and letting out a chuckle. He then goes back to teasing Lev with the feather toy. 

So he does speak after all. 

My search seems to have finally borne fruit when the next cranny I look into has a slim white cat with orange and brown speckles looking back at me with the most intense golden eyes. I slowly extend my hand to him without even thinking. 

“Pawdon me,” I’ve just barely touched Kenma’s soft tail when I basically jump out of my skin at the soft voice from behind me. I hadn’t even heard Fukunaga get up, this man must have been a ninja in a past life or something. 

“Uh, what’s up?” I’m not really sure what the correct response to a cat pun and greeting combo is, but he seems to accept my answer and hands me a sticky note. 

Would you mind doing inventory in the storage room? There are instructions on the inside of the storage room door  
Thank you --Fukunaga (=^ ◡ ^=)

“Sure, not a problem! See you later then,” I give Fukunaga a wave before heading past Ukai in the main room and into the storage room. Daichi was right when he called Fukunaga an odd duck, but at the same time, he’s kind of endearing. 

The next few hours are spent noting down the amounts of different kinds of food, bedding, toys, and other things, while the rest of the day is spent bouncing between the cash register to sell some assorted supplies and hopping over to the sky room to give Terushima and Inuoka some attention. Now that they’ve met me, they seem to have made it their goal to be around me as much as possible. It’s tiring, but also very cute. 

Time seems to flow differently in the shop, alternating between so slow it feels like I’m in a bubble for a single moment, frozen and floating away and so fast I blink and see the sunset outside the window, only later recalling the activities in the lost time. School was similar for me, where time would zip by when I wanted it to slow down to a trickle when all I wanted to do was get out. 

Regardless, time works with me well enough today, and eventually, I’ve said goodnight to the animals, Takeda, and Ukai, closed up the shop, and pulled myself into my apartment. 

Tsukki has already put in the DVD, some old classic action movie that he says it's stupid I’ve never watched. We’ve kept up weekly movie nights almost without fail since the second year of middle school, so with the craziness of the new job it feels like a homecoming to be able to zone out and poke fun at dated cinematography. 

Only when the credits have finished rolling by and we’re washing the popcorn bowl in the tiny kitchen do I start telling Tsukki about my first two days at work. Everything from the various sweet animals to the weird behavior of my coworkers and even my boss (Ukai has surprised me every time I’ve spoken to him). 

“Sounds like this job is more wildness than it’s worth, Yamaguchi.” He scoffs after I tell him about some of the weird antics of Fukunaga. “Plus, you haven’t even met everyone, or seen everything at this weird shop.”

“I mean, you’re right. But everything there is so” I pause. What can I say that really explains how I’m drawn to the Animall. “Intriguing. Plus, you said it, I haven’t even met my last coworker yet. I have to give this job the good old college try.”

“Suit yourself,” Tsukki says simply, and I know that he doesn’t mean it harshly. He’s just giving the problem over to me. 

I don’t end up meeting my final coworker until the next week. I clock into an early morning shift, say hello to Takeda who seems to never leave the office, and plop behind the cash register, stifling a yawn and listening to the white noise chatter of animals that seem just as sleepy as me. My eyes have just drifted shut in contemplation when I hear the staff door open behind me. 

“Sleeping through shifts your second week on the job?” I don’t know the voice, but there’s no doubt in my mind.

“I swear I wasn’t sleeping, though I do admit I’m far from a morning person.” I sheepishly laugh “I assume you’re the Goshiki I’ve heard a lot about. The medicine whiz?” I hope parroting back praise I heard from Daichi will help get me out of the hot water I seem to already be in with this guy. 

“Have you really heard that? I guess I am pretty good with p--home remedies” his about-face from embarrassment to self-confidence over the course of his response is slightly startling. “I’ve heard a good bit about you too Yamaguchi. They say you’re a natural with the animals.”

Now it’s my turn to flush. “I don’t know about that, but I’m glad I’ve made a good impression. And I’m happy to work with you as well.”

“Likewise. Though you aren’t gonna take away my position as the prodigy on staff, I won’t let you.” He puffs out his chest at that.

“I-I’m not trying to take anyone’s position. I just want to work with animals.”

“Then I think we’ll get along just fine!” He jovial slaps my arm with an unexpected amount of strength. 

I find out that he works on set days and that the customers know to come in then to get pseudo-vet services or medicines. I ask him about what happened with Suga on the first day and he says that Sugawara is a special case because he’s a regular and Yachi is so beloved by the staff. 

And with that, I find that I fall into a comfortable rhythm at the store. I work the register more when Fukunaga is stationed, and do more animal care when I’m partnered with Daichi or Goshiki. I talk with Takeda in the break room and find out that Ukai didn’t even want to be part of the family business until he was persuaded by Takeda. 

The animals in the shop get more comfortable around me, with even timid animals like Kenma and Akaashi coming out more often when I make the rounds. I still have yet to get close to Kentarou, with him snarling any time any of the animals, shop staff, or customers approach him. Ukai tells me that he just needs time and the right owner. 

I find out that if the animal is well behaved, they’ll sometimes be allowed out of their cages to hang out behind the counter. Specifically, I got this piece of knowledge when I almost had a heart attack over Kiyoko sitting on the windowsill by the counter. But apparently, she sits there pretty often because they know she won’t escape and it allows her to sleep in the sunlight. (This is also why Asahi is usually on a perch by the counter instead of in his cage)

Though I still find that as many things as I learn about this store, I have just as many questions that nobody wants to answer. How is it that Fukunaga always seems to know what the animals want, even before Ukai does? How come nobody will tell me anything about the home remedies from the shop, not even a single one of the ingredients? What was up with Ukai’s phantom conversation that second day? Or those scratches he had my first day? Why does everybody seem to be tiptoeing around me in conversations? It feels like every day I come away with one question answered and two more asked. I vent as much to Tsukki, but the best he gives me is that the store might be a front from something. I know that can’t be the case because of how much every person there really cares about the animals.

I know I’m new and I can’t be expected to know everything in just a few weeks, but I feel like I’m still treated gingerly, no matter how much time I spend caring for the parakeets or organizing the shelves. 

Regardless, I look forward to every shift I have there. The animals are so smart and mostly well behaved, and there’s something in the atmosphere that makes me feel like I’m at home in the shop. 

These two conflicting perspectives on my job and the store come to a head one night when I have the closing shift, about a month and a half into me working at the Animall. 

Wednesdays tend to be slow, nobody stocking up for the next few days and nobody getting things at the end of their workweek, plus Goshiki isn’t usually working so people mostly don’t come by for their medicines. 

Long story short, I’ve spent most of the day hopping around to clean cages, sitting with Shibayama in the cat room (he’s warmed up to me quite a bit and it turns out he’s a cuddle bug), or staring listlessly out the window beside the counter. 

To add salt to the wound, the only other person in the shop is Takeda, and he’s cooped up in the office as usual, so I can't even use banter to keep my mind sharp, plus the constant drizzle of rain that settled in around 3 pm. 

I was never one to fall asleep in class (not unless I had an all-nighter the previous night or something), and I never thought I would be one to sleep on the job. Regardless of what I thought, I find myself putting my head down on the counter, sleepily reassuring myself that I’ll get woken by the bell if anyone comes in. 

I’m woken instead by loud voices from my right side. I blink my eyes open and blearily realise that the sun has set and I should probably have already closed the shop. 

My back and neck protest as I sit up, slowly tuning in to the conversation that I think is coming from the sky room. 

Wait, if it’s this late, who is yelling from the sky room?

A chill runs down my spine like an ice cube in summer and I’m wide awake in an instant. I try and keep my footfalls light as I inch towards the cavernous barn doors that seem to loom over me like the jaws of some ravenous creature. I start to be aware enough to parse out the individual words of the argument I’m dropping in on. 

“You know full well that this stupid fucking plan was never going to work! I was never a fan of being forced to keep my mouth shut for fuck knows how long” 

What plan? What is this guy talking about? I grab the umbrella I had with me at the counter as some feeble insurance for whatever I’ll find in the sky room. 

“You don’t actually think it won’t work, you just resent not being able to curse at us at all hours of the day. Just put your own stupid pride aside and wait until its safe.”

I inch forward to look into the wide space, expecting to see burglars or something similar, but what I see could never have been predicted. 

“My stupid pride, huh. You’re probably just ecstatic that I can’t call you on your bullshit regularly” 

Kyoutani is standing in the center of the sky room, his hackles raised and teeth bared. Yahaba, the much smaller dog, stands opposite him. 

“No, I’m just glad you aren’t chasing away customers quite as much. Though you still spook quite a few of them with that ugly mug of yours”

There are no people in the room. No burglars, no customers. If I didn’t know any better I would think this was just another day of Kyoutani causing trouble. 

But I do know better.

I loved fairy tales when I was younger. I would read book after book about magic and heroes and happy endings, but I quickly learned that those stories were far from true. I know what’s real and what’s fake.

Or at least I thought I did

Because as soon as I take in the portmanteaux in front of me, I know that these two dogs are arguing with each other. Not with well-placed barks or growls, but with real human voices. 

“Say that again you bitch” Kyoutani all but screams, and I’m once again frozen with bafflement as the dog’s one head splits into three separate heads, all snarling in the direction of Yahaba. 

I do the only reasonable thing I can think to do in that situation.

I scream

All the heads in the room turn to look at me (including all three of Kyoutani’s heads). There’s a heavy beat of silence and for a moment I’m transported back to the first time I entered the Animall, with the uncomfortable sizing up. 

A grey film covers my vision as I desperately try to make sense of what I’m seeing. My chest hurts and my ears are ringing. Somewhere in the back of my head, I hear the clattering of an umbrella falling. Did I drop mine? I look down and see trembling hands. I struggle to take a few deep breaths and the next thing I know, there’s a hand on my shoulder. 

I look down to see Takeda standing beside me. When I look towards the sky room I see all the dogs laying on the ground, mostly in the center but with Kyoutani in the corner. Just like normal. 

“Are you okay, Yamaguchi? I thought you had already gone home when I heard that scream. Nearly gave me a heart attack if I’m honest.”

I debate internally for a moment whether I should tell Takeda what I saw. I mean I could just be tired and anxious and seeing things. But I heard those voices loud and clear. I know what I saw, and I know that it isn’t so easily explained. 

“Did you, did you not hear the yelling before that? I--Kyoutani--he” Takeda sighs wearily.

“I was hoping you hadn’t seen or heard any of that.”

“Wait, so it did--they did--”

“Yes,” He takes a deep breath “I promise everything can be explained, but I shouldn’t be the one to do it.”

“Why not? Just tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s not my place. Ukai or any of the other employees could do it more justice than I. You’re scheduled for tomorrow, so you can come in then and I swear we can clear everything up”

I look into Takeda’s eyes and I see a hint of the frazzled man I met for the interview almost two months ago. I take in a shaky breath and nod. 

“I’m sorry about all this. I’ll do the closing up, you go home and get some sleep. Maybe drink some tea, I know you’re really shaken up.”

I nod mutely again, moving without any thinking through the normal motions to get home. My body feels numb but my mind is buzzing, working at the events of the evening like they’re a Rubix cube. It’s not until after I’ve pulled into my parking space at home that the full solution appears to me. 

“Either I’m completely crazy, or there’s something supernatural going on at that shop”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I still haven't gotten to explaining the magic, but I promise it's first on the agenda next chapter!
> 
> Let me know what you think! Do you like the animals I've made characters into? Any ideas on what kind of magic they have?
> 
> I'm always a fan of criticism and thoughts!
> 
> Thank you for reading and have a nice day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth finally comes out, and Yamaguchi sees the Pet Shop for what it really is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really running out of steam while writing this chapter, even though it's the part I've always been most excited to write.  
> Hopefully, you enjoy it anyway!

I know I’m not in trouble for anything (or at least I don’t think I am), but my excitement to finally know the truth is being outweighed by a sort of paralyzing tension that fills the entire store. I noticed it as soon as I came in the back door this morning, stopping in my tracks to take a deep breath and face my boss. 

Takeda called out from the front and told me to meet Ukai in the office as soon as I clock in, so here I sit, in the corner of the office, facing the slightly frustrated face of Ukai and the wide eyes of Fukunaga, wanting to shrink into myself as much from fear as from the fact that this room was not made to handle more than 2 people in chairs. 

“Explaining stuff like this was always my grandad’s specialty, so I’m not sure how to go about this” I almost jump when Ukai’s voice breaks the suffocating silence. “I don’t know exactly how much you saw or heard last night, so I guess we’ll start with that.” He gestures over to me in a ‘go-ahead’ gesture. Fukunaga’s eyes flit over to me, and the extra pressure pushes me into taking a deep breath and starting to explain. 

“Well…” I pause, the images from last night still feeling very dream-like and transient, avoiding any of my attempts to explain them. “I heard two arguing voices from the sky room, and when I went to investigate, I saw Yahaba and Kyoutani arguing. It escalated quickly, and then Kyoutani-he--his,” The words stick in my throat as if saying it out loud would ruin something delicate I’m holding. “He just suddenly had 3 heads, just like something out of a movie. I freaked out, and by the time I looked back at them, everything was back to normal.” I look up at Ukai hesitantly, as if I was being tested.

He sighs

“Yeah, that’s what I figured. I’m surprised those two kept their mouths shut this long if I’m being honest.” Ukai rests his forearms on his knees and leans towards me. “You seem to at least not be in shock, so here’s the short explanation. This store is for magical animals. I’ll give ya a longer explanation once I’m sure you’ve got that part down” 

I blink at him. I mean, I had figured there was something weird going on, but hearing it said so plainly sent my head reeling. I keep butting up against the idea that magic could have existed my entire life and I still grew up believing it was fake. 

After what could have been 5 seconds or a full hour, my consciousness seems to finally settle and I peek back over at the two men across from me before just shaking my head, more at myself than at them. “I don’t--it’s just hard to believe” 

“Yeah, that’s fair. I didn’t think you’d need more proof than seeing Kyoutani’s three heads last night, but I’ve never had to learn about magic all at once, so what do I know?” Ukai chuckles before turning to Fukunaga and giving him a curt nod and a devious smirk that makes my heart rate pick up. 

The slender man then walks the few steps over to me and stops when he’s right in front of me. He’s far from short and I’m sitting down in a beat-up rolling chair, so he looms over me like an old willow tree.

Suddenly the air gets...weird. Like the feeling of static electricity without any of the pain, or like a million unspoken words got shoved into our space all at once, leaving the atmosphere heavy and buzzing with potential and raw, untouched energy. 

As soon as I begin to process the unfamiliar sensation, I notice movement from the strange boy in front of me. It almost seems like his skin and clothes shift into colored static, a kind of kaleidoscope that my brain keeps slipping away from, like it can’t quite grasp it. The fuzzy static then begins to shift, moving in unpredictable ways that seem both organic and unnatural at the same time. 

Then all at once, the atmosphere clears and Fukunaga stops being a hard-to-observe blur. However, instead of a tall and skinny shop worker standing in front of me, there is now a lithe black cat with shaggy fur on its head and silky threads that gleam like water when it twitches on my lap, looking up at me with eyes that feel unmistakable in their surprised expression. 

“Fukunaga?” My voice comes out soft and low like I’m speaking in a dream or like I’m trying to approach a shy woodland creature. In response, I get a soft headbutt before the cat curls up in my lap without a second’s delay. 

“This guy isn’t any more talkative in cat form, but he’s definitely sleepier.” That comment earns Ukai a half-lidded glance and an ear twitch from the cat on my lap. “Fukunaga was one of our shape-shifting cats, but he ended up spending so much time in human form helping out that Takeda adopted him and brought him onto the staff. He’s our good luck charm too, so we couldn’t get rid of him even if we wanted to.” Ukai sends a strangely fond smile at the black cat before turning his gaze back to me, seemingly remembering that I’m in the middle of a life-changing revelation. “You finally processing all this?”

“Yeah I--I mean I believe you, how could I not? But there’s still a lot of things I don’t understand.” That’s putting it mildly. My mind is racing to try and figure out exactly how this works, and it’s taking all I have to hold back the onslaught of questions threatening to flood the office with curiosity. 

“Yeah, I figured you’d need a lot of things explained to you. Ask all the questions you need, and I’ll do my best to help ya understand it.” 

Except now that he’s opened the door to questions, all those earlier queries seem to have dried up, leaving me open-mouthed and dumbstruck. It takes me a moment to even figure out where to begin. 

“How do…’magical animals’ work?” Fukunaga gives me a quick glance when he feels me make the air quotes. “Are they just born magical? Or is there training or something?” 

“I mean, neither of those is quite correct. Every animal, and person for that matter, is born with some amount of magic potential, though most never recognize it. The animals here are just lucky enough to have been born with more than average or raised in an environment that nurtured their talents.” Ukai shrugs, like the fact that he just told me everyone has magic is no big deal, like he just told me the results of the latest football game. “Most of our animals come from magic breeders or other places in the magic community, so they’ve grown up around magic and have a good grasp on it. Though we do occasionally take in strays and teach them to use their powers. Shibayama from the pavilion was found in the alley behind the shop and now he’s one of the most powerful cloaking animals I’ve met.” 

I get an image of the small tabby, struck by the idea that I never knew that he was a powerful mage (can you use that term for a cat?) despite spending hours with him in the small pavilion. But maybe I’m just out of shock at this point, because the information presented to me doesn’t cause another small mental breakdown. Instead, I just look down at the cat in my lap before continuing my questions.

“What kind of magic do the animals here have? Like what can they do? Can they all shapeshift like Fukunaga?” I realise after the fact that my question might have sounded a bit stupid, but I’m too far out of my depths to try and curate my words like I usually do.

“Tough question, kid. When my grandad was in charge, we specialised in shapeshifting animals like Fukunaga here, though we have a variety now. It’ll make more sense to go around and get them to tell or show you themselves, so after you’ve gotten the basics, we can do a new tour.” 

“Sounds good” I nod. I’m not sure if my increasing acceptance is actually me absorbing all this or if it’s just a new, fancier form of shock. 

“So, people have magic?” 

“Yep. Just like with animals, everybody’s got it, but some people use it and some don’t.”

“Do you?”

“Not usually. There are a few store recipes that only I know how to make, so I do potions when I need to. But when I tried to leave the family business I also pretty much gave up magic, so I’m pretty out of practice. Goshiki’s the real witch on staff, the kid’s from a witch family that’s a big deal around here.”

At some point during that sentence, a block seems to slide into place in my head. 

“Oh my god, the home remedies here are potions,” I think of how weird the pharmacy here is, with unpredictable hours and medicines I’ve never heard of, and a young guy making all of the remedies himself. It honestly should have been obvious. 

There’s a laugh from Ukai. “Yep, there are a few that aren’t magic and are just herb mixes, plus the standard non-magic tick medicines and stuff, but most of them are potions of some kind”

Despite this being far from the most shocking thing I’ve heard this morning, something about just how much sense it makes jolts me to my core. I’ve literally been selling potions to witches for weeks and I didn’t even know. A chip of ice finds its way into my lungs at the thought, but I shake my head and force myself to breathe normally. 

“How do you keep something like this a secret? I mean, a whole shop full of potions and magic mice, people have to pick up something strange, right?”

“I mean, we kept it a secret from you for more than a month.” I flush at that, thinking back on just how many strange things I overlooked. “Most people want so desperately for the world to be normal that they are willing to let little inconsistencies slide. The animals know who is in the loop and who isn’t and they shut up pretty well in front of the normal customers.”

“But what happens when they get adopted by normal customers? Do they just hide their magic for the rest of their life?”

“It depends on the circumstance. We trust our kids to make the best decision about whether to reveal themselves or not. Plus, they’re crafty and sly, none of them would stay with a family they aren’t happy with.” There’s a look in Ukai’s eyes at that last statement that makes me shiver. 

“What about me?” I finally find it in myself to bring up what I think is the elephant in the room.

“What about you?” Ukai responds with an amused lilt in his voice. 

“I mean, why’d you even hire me? Surely there’s somebody in your world that could have done just as well, plus you wouldn’t have had to hide everything from them.” I curl into myself a little bit. Something about learning of these abilities makes me feel small, like I’m here by accident or I don’t deserve to know these things. 

“To totally level with you, it was Takeda’s idea. Put up an offering on a non-magic site and see what happens. Everybody on staff here was either born into magic or has been working with it for years, so he thought the outside perspective would be helpful.” Ukai rolls his eyes a bit. “I wasn’t really on board with the whole thing, but you really charmed the whole staff and all the animals, so I guess you were the right choice in the end. Even though some of the animals got super crabby from not being able to talk or let loose half the time.”

Ukai gives me a soft grin at that and I can’t help but return it, the unease that’s been settled in my gut loosening for the first time since last night. 

“I guess they’ll be happy to know that they can act like normal now,” I say, feeling a bit guilty that I was hampering them so much without even knowing it. 

“Yeah, most of them have been gossiping about you like schoolgirls the past few weeks.” He leans back in his seat. “Bo is gonna be happy to be out of the loft, he’s been so stir crazy.”

I make a small noise of confusion at that and Ukai snickers. 

“One of our birds could absolutely not keep his mouth shut, so I’ve been keeping him up in my bedroom whenever you’re on shift. The rest of the animals appreciate the quiet, I haven’t appreciated the feathers on my comforter.” He scoffs at the air. “What do ya say? Wanna go get him out and then do introductions to the others?”

I nod, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Ever since I got that vague answer about what kind of magic the store residents hold, I’ve been buzzing to go back to the main room and see this place for what it really is. 

Ukai pushes his equally beat-up rolling desk chair back and heads out of the office. The heavy atmosphere from earlier still hangs in the hallway, but I feel mostly unbothered by it now that I am no longer wondering terribly about the “What-ifs''. 

I haven’t even realised that I’m dragging behind until I see Ukai coming back down his loft stairs, with a striking white and black owl on his arm. Piercing golden eyes stare back at me and then my ears are accosted with a screech.

“OH MY GOD IT’S THE NEW GUY” 

My hands go to my ears automatically, trying to block out the words that make me feel like I’m standing next to the speaker at a rock concert. 

“Bokuto” Ukai takes on a tone almost like a father “this is why we haven’t let you down yet, you can’t just deafen my employees.” He turns back to me, as I’m still squinting past the ringing in my ears. “This guy can’t control his volume one bit, but he’s got so much spellcasting potential I’m sure he’ll get picked up as a familiar one day”

I almost reel again at the confirmation that witches actually have familiars, but instead turn my gaze to the huge bird, who’s large, luminous eyes are now turned to the ground in what looks like shame. 

“Nice to meet you, Bokuto,” I say (probably too loud, the ringing prevents me from gauging my volume correctly) The owl perks up at that and barks back his greetings, slightly quieter this time, more like a car horn than a jet plane. 

Ukai just pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, before continuing the shuffle to the main room, seemingly unbothered by the sturdy bird on his forearm. Something deep in my mind peeps that I just had my first real conversation with an animal. I dismiss the thought with hopes that I’ll have many more. 

I follow Ukai through the staff door and I feel a familiar hush pour over the room, just like the first day. 

That’s why the store was that quiet the first day! The animals were seizing me up to see if they needed to hide their abilities or not. The only difference this time is that in the middle of the chilling moment, Ukai speaks.

“Yamaguchi’s gotten the brief now. You guys can let loose, but still don’t scare him off you guys” There are some pointed glances at that last part. 

What follows is a small cacophony. I make out a few greetings and a few sighs of relief from the denizens of the cages. Notably, I see Kiyoko hop off of her perch on the windowsill and scamper across the counter to stand in front of us and give me a solemn nod. 

“Nice to meet you properly,” She says curtly, in a soft and delicate voice, before returning to her favorite spot in the sunny window without waiting for a response. 

The rest of the noise reminds me of waiting in a busy subway station, or a crowded house party, except this time all the attention is on me, something I rarely experience at events or in public. Ukai sets Bokuto down on the large perch that Asahi usually uses before turning back to me. 

“I guess I’ll give you the walkthrough and let everyone say hi. They’re obviously eager.”

And with that, I begin on a tour, just like it’s my first day on the job again. Except for this time, instead of being floored by the strange layout of the store, I’m repeatedly left speechless by voices coming from tiny bodies. Tanaka and Noya sound almost exactly how I thought they would, rambunctious and energetic. I think they’ll be even more trouble now that they can ask for things with words instead of just pleading eyes. It turns out Ukai was talking with Asahi that one morning when I thought he might have been on the phone. I realise as soon as the parrot starts introducing himself and I recognize his voice. I also find out that he’s their official translator because Asahi can speak and understand any language and animal, magic or not. 

Akaashi is hiding when we come by, so I’m told by Ukai that he can create silence vortexes, so he’s usually kept near Bokuto, whose supersonic voice can cause real damage when it isn’t controlled. 

I see birds that can swim through the air instead of flying, and I see Noya change the color of his fur right in front of my eyes, from his standard grey into brown with blonde whiskers (which is apparently his default when he isn’t trying to appear normal.) The entire time the air has that unmistakable restless tingling sensation, loaded with what I can only describe as magic. 

Aone is apparently not very talkative, similar to Fukunaga, but he’s also just as old as the store if not older. Some very talkative gerbils near him tell me that he’s been the familiar of several witches over the years, and returns to pet shops like this when he has nowhere else to go. The tan rodent says it in a humorous tone, but my heart aches at the idea of how much the tortoise has lost over the years. 

In the pavilion, there aren’t quite as many animals to see, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not still bombarded with new things. I learn that Lev is actually Russian (though he has no accent) and he was a gift from one of their acquaintances who works at a similar store in Russia. I am not surprised at all that he talks nearly nonstop, much to the chagrin of his more reserved roommates. I also get to see him literally melt into his water bowl, fizzling down until just his blue eyes look up from the rippling surface. This earns him a lecture from Ukai about how he can’t do that because the other cats have to drink that water too. 

I hear a soft laugh from one of the corners and see Shibayama and Kenma peeking out of a cubby. The tabby cat seems sympathetic and offers his condolences in a soft and kind voice, while Kenma chides along with Ukai and Lev morphs back out of the water and sulks away into one of the soft beds, a few drops of water slipping off of his silver fur. 

I heard about Shibayama’s cloaking abilities briefly in the office, but it did not at all prepare me for him just...disappearing. I feel the magic hum and then there’s only one cat in the cubby. Kenma rolls his eyes (I didn’t know cats could do that) and mumbles that sounds vaguely like “show off”

Ukai just waves off the antics of the cats before moving one. “You still have to work today, so we can’t dawdle,” he explains, though I also think he’s tired of all the animals stroking their own egos at my amazement.

Going to the sky room feels awkward since the dogs there are the reason I discovered the secret in the first place. In fact, there’s a slight sense of bashfulness from the pups scattered around. At least, from some of them. Kunimi is just sleeping by the window and Kyoutani is far from bashful, instead looking at me with venomous eyes. He shakes his head violently and with a quick pulse of pressure through the air, his skin writhes and reforms into three identical tan muzzles complete with matching glares. 

I go against my best judgment and give him a small wave, receiving a huff and a forceful turn towards the wall in return. 

“I swear mad dog doesn’t mean any harm by it. He’s just prickly by nature.” I turn my eyes to the source of the voice and I see the familiar silky fur of Terushima. “Since all of us get to talk to you properly now, I should really thank him for letting the cat out of the bag. Or would it be a dog in this case?” The dog’s voice is both smooth and energetic at the same time. 

Ukai chuckles from behind me. “Honestly, Terushima, I thought you were gonna blow it by forgetting to change back to golden retriever before one of his shifts.” 

“It did make me antsy to be stuck in one form for so long, but thankfully, Inuoka is permanently antsy so he could keep up with me.”

“I’m not antsy, I just have a lot of energy.” There’s a small pout in the voice that comes from the small terrier. 

“You keep telling yourself that honey.” Terushima sticks out his tongue at the smaller dog. “Oh, Yams.” his voice drops slights and I lean in instinctively “Yahaba would never tell you to your face, but he feels sad that you got a bad impression of him. He’s a bit of a priss, but he only yells at people to try and straighten them out, I promise” 

I just nod at the dog and then take stock of the room. Yahaba is sitting next to Kunimi by the window, sneaking small glances my way before keeping his gaze away at the sight of me looking up. I make a mental note to try and make friends with all of the sky room residents more in the future, but I can’t do it now because Ukai is ushering me back to the cash register to get normal business back on track. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get back to the same sense of normal now that I know the full extent of this store, but regardless, I sit behind the cash register (I wonder if it’s magic? I’ll ask Daichi next time I see him) and try to stay still and concentrate. 

Except that seems difficult to do now that there’s a whole room full of animals looking to make up for lost conversation time. Today, at least, I spend some time getting to know Asahi, who’s at his regular residence on the perch (I spot Bokuto on top of one of the rabbit cages later), while I’m heckled by various comments from the peanut gallery the whole time. 

Daichi has the evening shift after me, and he just gives me a pat on the shoulder and says that he “always knew I was right for the job,” and tells me that I can clock out. I almost don’t want to, because I have a bit of fear that leaving will make everything disappear. That I’ll come back for a shift and it will be a normal pet store again. Thankfully, I come back two days later and everything is just as chaotic and magical as I hoped. 

Over the next few weeks find out that it’s easier to tend to these animals when they can tell you what they want and when. Though it’s also immense amounts more frustrating. I get constant requests for snacks from the troublemaking mouse duo, and the calm trips around the room methodically are mostly replaced with frantic back and forth in an attempt to get things to the ones who ask for them. I’ll occasionally hear familiar squabbles from the sky room or a loud laugh from the pavilion, reminding me of the fateful night when I got pushed into the world of magic. 

You’d think learning about magic would change your life overnight, but really it just gives me a similar life with a different viewpoint. I still find Fukunaga hiding in the pavilion instead of working, but now he’ll occasionally be a small black cat hiding in one of the cubbies instead of a lanky boy with wispy eyebrows. I still get pushed out of the way most of the time when Goshiki is working, but now he’ll occasionally let me into the room he’s working in to tell me some of the ingredients in what he’s making or gossip about whatever magical animal he’s brewing a drought for. 

I still spend a lot of days checking cages and worrying about my fingers when making change (Daichi tells me the cash register isn’t magic; I swear it holds a grudge against me), but now I hold conversations with the animals, laughing at Kiyoko’s swift and plain responses to the other’s banter and trying to keep Bokuto from shrieking while one of the sweet older customers comes in to stock up on cat food. 

I look at things differently now. I search the streets to see if I can spot customers from the shop as reassurance that magic really exists outside of the cramped storefront I tend. I find myself looking curiously at Tsukki’s family’s pet cat and wondering if it could cast spells if it only knew how. I see customers come in hold conversations with the gerbils and I reel at how little I can predict who has magic. I keep hearing from Akaashi that the sense just comes with time, but sometimes I feel so acutely the fact that I’m still a newcomer here. 

Regardless of how new I am, I start to love the feeling of magic. The once overwhelming and suffocating tension in the air starts to feel more like anticipation. I see Terushima fizzle into a great dane to chase after and annoy the other dogs and I just laugh instead of dropping my jaw. I see Asahi speaking fluent dutch to one of the regulars and I marvel at how special my world has become. Every day I come home and I have so many stories buzzing on the tip of my tongue, but I have to make do with a “work was fine” to Tsuki or my parents when I talk to them because I have something to protect now. Before I had this feeling about the store that I was seeing something I didn’t quite belong in, but now, I’m starting to be a part of that thing that once felt out of my depths. I have been accepted by this community, for no real good reason. 

In fact, I still can’t quite accept that I just ended up here by mistake. It feels too perfect, too much like I’m supposed to be here for this to all be just the result of Takeda’s impulsive decision. So I’ve decided it must be magic. Maybe that’s impudent of me to think, but something about this whole situation gives me that same sense of anticipation that the shimmering atmosphere of magic does. 

Regardless of whether it was fate or magic or pure coincidence that I ended up where I am now, I am beyond grateful that I did. 

I want someday to be able to tell all those stories I hold within me, let someone else hear about the everyday experiences of my less than standard life, but for now, I am content to just be working at the Animall, basking in the magic and the mundane that surrounds me in every moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending isn't very satisfactory to me, but mostly that's because this is just the beginning of Yams' story, and giving it a hard ending would feel wrong. I have more anecdotes and characters in this universe that I wanna tell someday, but we'll see when/if they end up being posted!
> 
> Let me know what you thought of my worldbuilding or writing choices! I'm still growing as a writer and I know I have shortcomings, but it would mean the world to know your thoughts!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and have a great day!


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